On Saturday November 10th, the beautiful lofty spaces of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan will be the locale for a concert memorializing the end of World War I (which ended 100 years ago). Featured artists are soprano, Helena Brown, and organist, Edward Tipton.

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Jonathan Yates has compiled a program that evokes the loss, gallantry and hope associated with the Armistice. Songs that were contemporary with the war, sung by Helena Brown, include George Butterworth’s “On the Idle Hill of Summer,” and Charles Ives’s setting of “In Flanders Fields” by poet John McCrae (Butterworth and McCrae both died in the war). More upbeat are “Over There” by George M. Cohan and “God Bless America” by then US soldier Irving Berlin.

Mary Noonan (contributed photo)

Matthew Curran (contributed photo)

The program will also include Francis Poulenc’s Organ Concerto performed by organist Edward Tipton, and Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in D minor, sung by the Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut and members of the St. Mark’s choir and Fairfield County Chorale, with soloists Mary Noonan, soprano and Matthew Curran, baritone.

Helena Brown (contributed photo)

Helena Brown has been lauded for her “stunningly large round sound.” She is a singer with an extensive and varied repertoire. Most recently, she was Donna Elvira in the Rioja Lirica/DIVAria’s production of Don Giovanni in New York City and Sieglinde in Die Walküre with the Miami Wagner Institute. She holds a BA from Hollins College (Summa Cum Laude) and an MA from the Manhattan School of Music. When not on the road, Helena lives and teaches in Norwalk.

Organist Edward “Ned” Tipton (contributed photo)

Organist Edward “Ned” Tipton is Director of Music at the Grace Episcopal Church in his native Ashville, North Carolina. He has a BM in Piano and an MM in Choral Conducting from Oberlin. He has also studied at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. For 21 years, he was Canon for Music and Organist at the American Cathedral in Paris, where he founded and led the famed Paris Choral Society.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is at 111 Oenoke Ridge Road, New Canaan, CT 06840. Individual tickets are General Admission and range from $10 for students and $30 for Chapel Seats (potential for some obstructed views) to $50 for the best seats which can be purchased online at the Symphony’s website www.norwalksymphony.org or by calling the NSO office at 203 956-6771.